Apparatus and method for installing elevator hoistway equipment

ABSTRACT

An elevator system has a hoistway in which guide rail sections are mounted end-to-end to form guide rails for an elevator car frame or sling and for a couterweight. To install the guide rails a rig is lowered by a hoist towards the lower end of the hoistway. An end of a guide rail section is connected to the rig for each guide rail desired. The rig is raised in steps and each step is equal to the length of a guide rail section. At the end of each step an end of an additional guide rail section is connected to the lower end of each row of suspended guide rail sections until the desired guide rail length is achieved. The points of connection of the guide rail sections to the rig are adjusted to locate each row of guide rail sections in the desired position and the rig is blocked in position. The lowest section of each row is next secured to the building structure housing the hoistway and a car frame or sling is mounted on the lowest sections of guide rails. The sling is raised upwardly in steps. At each stop of the sling workmen operating from the sling secure the adjacent parts of the guide rail sections to the building structure and/or install hoistway apparatus on adjacent parts of the hoistway.

United States Patent 1191 Westlake et ai.

[ Dec.3,1974

[ APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INSTALLING ELEVATOR HOISTWAY EQUIPMENT [75]Inventors: William A. Westlake, Allison Park,

Pa; Joseph A. Brizzolara, Union, NJ.

[73] Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation,

Pittsburgh, Pa.

22 Filed: Mar. 20, 1973 1 211 App]. No.: 343,069

Primary Examiner-Evon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-James L. RowlandAttorney, Agent, or Firm-D. R. Lackey cent parts of the hoistway.

.for an elevator car frame or sling and for a couterweight. To installthe guide rails a rig is lowered by a hoist towards the lower end of thehoistway. An end of I a guide rail section is connected to the rig foreach guide rail desired. The rig is raised in steps and each step isequal to the length of a guide rail-section. At the end of each step anend of an additional guide rail section is connected to the lower end ofeach row of Suspended guide rail sections until the desired guide raillength is achieved. The points of connection of the guide rail sectionsto the rig are adjusted to locate each row of guide rail sections in thedesired position and the rig is blocked in position. The lowest'sectionof each row is next secured to the building structure housing thehoistway and a car frame or sling is mounted on the lowest sections ofguide rails. The sling is raised upwardly in steps. At each stop of thesling workmen operating from the sling secure the adjacent parts of theguide rail sections to the building structure and/or install hoistwayapparatus on adjaz 17 Claims sora in Figures OIST PATENTLEEB 319143,851,736

sum 10; 3

FIG. I.

HOIST HOIST w {I 5 H m Ill lllll IIINI l| lllll a q B @Q B P 0 milblwlblllbllim W; B III. l mmwm H w W W m E Pw m m m m PATENIELDEII 3mm3,851,735 SHEH 20F 3 FIG. 5. FIG

I7 7 Ci I I J9 2| EI E: ig I I I I I I I I I -g I I FLCOIZ I I I I I I I:I I I -I FL OF I I I9 I I It:

I I I L 26 25 25 I= T 1% I 29 I: 29 I I IZTIE IKE, FLOOR I I ,LIa t; I:5 I I I I z 37 I I I I533 F 'l; t e I 2% I: CI 1 I: I I5+ 25 I I I KI I-I I -I |3I\ T I I I FLOOR I T I X III K I:: a

I I: fl FIZZ I: I: F FI I I I- I- I -I FLOOR I I I 2 III: dI F:

' I I I I F I I I I FLOOR II I437 FLOOR II I I I I I &I

I I I I I I 4-33 I I l as I I I I III-I i 2 BL) 3| IaL 3I APPARATUS ANDl TI-IOD FOR INSTALLING ELEVATOR HOISTWAY EQUWNT BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION vided. Each guide rail is constructed of sections connectedendto-end by fish plates. Each guide rail is positioned on the buildingstructure housing the hoistway at spaced intervals by clips andbrackets. Standards for components of an elevator system are set forthin the American Standard Safety-Code for Elevators, Seventh Edition,published in 1965 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, NewYork City. An example of a prior art system is shown in the US. Pat. No.1,905,248, issued Apr. 25, 1933.

In accordance with a typical prior-art procedure a plumb line is locatedin the hoistway along a vertical line which is intended to locate thefaces of the brackets for a guide rail. The brackets are distributed atthe approximatelevels at ,which they are to be installed. A workman thenproceeds along the hoistway to install each bracket. Each bracket is,secured to a supporting member of the building structure, as by bolting.If necessary, the workman installs shims between the bracket and thebracket support to locate the face of the bracket against the plumbline. I

Due to vagaries of building construction, the bracket supports may notbe uniformly spaced from the plumb line, and in some cases may be soclose to'the plumb line that room is not available for the brackets.Timeconsuming modification: of the bracket supports or relocation of theplumb line may be necessary;

After the brackets are installed the guide rail sections are installedindividually, and are connected by fish plates. Sometimes a bracket mayinterfere with the correct location of a'bracket, and may necessitate atime consuming relocation of the bracket.

Movement of the heavy guide rail sections to their mounting levels hasrequired time-consuming and tiring work. r

The guide rails and the hoistway apparatus have been installed by a crewof four or more men and the instal lation has been slow and costly.

BRIEF SUMMARY F THE INVENTION In order to decrease the time and cost forinstalling hoistway apparatus guide rail sections are stored verticallyin the lower end of the hoistway. A hoist located at the upper end ofthe hoistway then lowers, a guide-rail-section-lifting rig until it isadjacent to the and two counterweight guide rails four guide railsections have their upper ends connected to the rig.

The hoist then is operated to raise the rig until the lower ends of theguide rail sections suspended from the rig are adjacent to the upperends of the remaining stored guide rail sections. A fish plate is thenutilized for loosely connecting the lower end of each suspended guiderail section to the upper end of a separate stored guide rail section.

The hoist is again operated to raise the rig until the lower ends of thelower suspended guide rail sections are adjacent the upper ends of theremaining stored guide rail sections. A fish plate is utilized forloosely connecting the lower end of each lower suspended guide railsection to the upper end of a separate one of the remaining stored guiderail sections.

In this manner successive guide rail sections are added to thosesuspended from the rig until the desired guide rail lengths are reached.The points of connection of the guide rail sections to the rig are moveduntil each vertical line or row of guide rail sections is substantiallyin the position desired for a guide rail and the rig is secured inposition. Inasmuch as the fish plates are properly positioned before thebrackets are installed, any problems of interference between a bracketand a fish plate is avoided before the bracket is initially installed.The lowest suspended guide rail section in each row is then secured bybrackets and clips to the building structure housing the hoistway. Thelowest guide rail section in each row may be pinned or blocked toprevent it from sliding in its clips at a later stage when the rig isremoved.

A conventional car frame or sling is next installed between the securedguide rail sections and thehoist rope is transferred from the rig to thesling. The sling is now raised in steps. At the end of each step aworkman on the sling tightens the fish plates nearest to him, securesthe guide rail sections by clips and brackets at points nearest to himand installs various hoistway apparatus, such as hoistway door frames,duct work, pushbutton boxes and position indicators, required at thevarious levels at which the sling stops. i

If the-hoistway requires guide rails longer than th length tolerated bythe hoist equipment, the foregoing sequence may be repeated to suspendby the same rig an upper vertical row of guide rail sections above eachof the lower secured rows of guide rail sections. The sling then may beraised in steps above the lower secured rows of guide rail sections topermit workmen on the sling to complete the installation of the upperrows of guide rail sections and various hoistway apparatus required atthe various levels at which the sling stops.

upper ends of the guide railsections. For each guide rail to beinstalled, one guide rail section is connected at its, upper end to therig. Thus for two car guide rails It is therefore an object of theinvention to provide improved equipment for installing apparatus in thehoistway of an elevator system.

It is another object of the invention to provide animproved method forinstalling apparatus in the hoistway of an elevator system.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the drawings.

' v BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 to 4 are schematic viewsin front elevation of a low-rise elevator hoistway and equipmentfacilitating installation of apparatus in the hoistway;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Referring tothe drawings, FIG. 1 shows a low-rise elevator hoistway l1 outlined bydotted lines'for serving landings or floors, 1, 2, 3 and 4 of a buildingstructure. The hoistway has a pit extending below the first floor andterminates at its upper end in a penthouse having a penthouse floor P.

Two vertical car guide rails and two vertical counterweight guide railsare to be installed in the hoistway. For illustrative purposes eachguide rail is assumed to comprise four guide-rail sections mountedend-to-end, each section being sixteen feet long.

At the outset, all sixteen guide rail sections are placed vertically inthe lower end of the hoistway, three car guide rail sections 13 andthree counterweight guide rail sections 115 being visible in FIG. 1.

A hoist l7 is located in the penthouse and has the free end of its hoistrope l9 connected to a guide rail section lifting rig 21. This rigcarries four swivel hooks or supports 23, one for each guide rail. Thesehooks are horizontally adjustable on the rig. The rig is lowered by thehoist 17 to a position slightly above the stored guide rail sections.The two outer hooks are loosely connected to the upper ends of two ofthe stored car guide rail sections 13. The two inner hooks are looselyconnected to the upper ends of two of the stored counterweight guiderail sections 115.

The rig 21 is next lifted approximately sixteen feet (the length of aguide rail section) to the position shown in FIG. 2, thus suspending thefour guide rail sections connected to it immediately above the remainingstored guide rail sections. The rig is maintained substantiallyhorizontal. The lower end of each of the suspended car guide railsections is connected by a fish plate 25 and bolts to the upper end of aseparate one of the remaining stored car guide rail sections l3 whichmay be raised slightly or tilted if necessary to achieve registry of itsholes with the fish plate holes. The lower end of each .of the suspendedcounterweight guide rail sections similarly is connected by a fish plate26 and bolts to the upper end of a separate one of the remaining storedcounterweight guide rail sections 15. The fish plate bolts are not fullytightened-at this time.

The rig is again raised approximately sixteen feet and four more of thestored guide rail sections are added in a similar way to the lower endsof the four rows of sus-' pended guide rail sections.

The rig is finally raised approximately another six teen feet and thefour remaining stored guide rail sections are added in a similar mannerto the lower ends of the four rows of suspended guide rail sections asshown'in FIG. 3. The rig 21 now may be moved upwards to assure locationof the supporting framework immediately above the plane of the penthousefloor P.

. The lowest rail sections in FIG. 4 are spaced above the pit floor.Each of the rows of guide rail sections hangs from the rig 21effectively as a vertical plumb line after the final upward movement ofthe rig 21. The loose connections of the fish plates facilitates thehanging of each row in a vertical plumb line.

The rig 21 is expanded and blocked in position on-the penthouse floor asshown in FIG. 4. Each of the rows of guide rail sections is adjusted bymoving its supporting hook laterally on therig to lie precisely alongthe line of the desired guide rail as shown in FIG. 4.

The location of the hooks may be ascertained with reference to a benchmark furnished by the architect of the building structure or withreference to building center lines. Sights may be taken from the top tothe bottom by a device such as a transit or theodolite mounted on therig to establish the correct bottom points.

Although the guide rail sections now may be secured to the buildingstructure in any suitable manner, preferably brackets 29 and 31 for thelowest guide rail sections are secured to the building structure housingthe hoistway. The lowest guide rail section in each row is secured byconventional clips to the brackets 29 for the car guide rail sectionsand 31 for the counterweight guide rail sections. Also the lowest guiderail section in each row may be pinned or blocked at this time toprevent sliding of the section through its clips when the rig later isremoved. This is represented by a block BL located below each guiderail.

A sling 33 is now installed between the secured lowest pair of car guiderail sections 13. If desired this sling may be the permanent car frameof the elevator car to be installed in the hoistway. However, forpresent purposes it will be assumed that the sling 33 is a temporarysling which is employed only for construction purposes. The sling has alower work platform 35 and an upper work platform 37. Inasmuch as therig 21 is blocked on the penthouse floor P, the hoist rope 19 can haveits end removed from the rig and transferred to the sling 33.

The sling 33 is lifted in steps by the hoist 17. At each stop of thesling a workman on the upper platform 37 securelytightens the fishplates 25, as he reaches them, to the associated ends of the guide railsections He also secures the brackets 29 and 3.1 to the buildingstructure and secures the guide rail sections by clips to the brackets29 and 31 as he reaches the successive securing points.

A workman on the lower platform 35 at each stop installs varioushoistway apparatus such as hoistway door frames, pushbuttom boxes,position indicator and ducts specific to the level of such stop. Thus bythe time the sling reaches the top of the hoistway a substantial part ofthe hoistway work is completed.

If the sling 33 is a temporary construction sling it may be removed andtransferred to the next job. The permanent car frame may be installed.

Preferably the elevator machine and control are installed in thepenthouse before work on the guide rails is started. If this had beendone, the machine may be lined up and the permanent roping may beinstalled between the machine, the car frame and the counterweight topermit normal operation of the car frame.

From a practical aspect there is a limit to the amount stalling theguide rails and other hoistway apparatus would be performed for thefirst ten stories and would be repeated for each additional ten storiesor portions thereof.

To illustrate this aspect of the invention and to simplify the drawings,it will be assumed that the rig and hoist are limited in capacity to theloading shown in FIGS. 1-4. The use of the rig and hoist when solimited, for a building having floors 1-8 and a penthouse floor P willnow be considered in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 the guide rails below the fifth floor are installedexactly in the same way as those discussed in FIGS. 1-4. In FIG. 5 thesling 33 has been returned to a position below the fifth floor (shownnear the bottom of the hoistway) and all guide rail sections for,

floors above the fifth floor are stored vertically on the upper platform37. The sling has been blocked in position and the hoist rope 19 hasbeen returned to the rig 21 which has been contracted in size anddropped to a position slightly above the stored guide rail sections.

Four of the stored guide rail sections are connected to the rig in thesame manner discussed with respect to FIG. 1. The rig is next lifted intwo steps of about sixteen feet each and at each stop four guide railsections are added to the suspended rows of guide rail sections untileach row contains three guide rail sections. The rig is now lifted untilthe framework of the rig 21 is above the level of the penthouse floor.The rig is expanded to overlie the penthouse floor and each of thesuspended rows of guide rail sections is moved into alignment with thecorresponding one of the lower secured rows of guide rail sections asshown in FIG.v 6. The rig 21 is blocked in position and the hoist rope19 is transferred to the sling 33. I

The sling 33 is moved by the hoist 17 to a position slightly below thefifth floor as shown in FIG. 6. A workman on the upper platform appliesfour fish plates 25, 26 to connect the'adjacent ends of the fourth andfifth guide rail sections in each row counting upwardly from the bottomof the hoistway. Such four fish plates 25 and 26 are shown in position.The workman also applies clips and brackets to secure adjacent railpoints to the building structure. A workman on the lower platforminstalls hoistway apparatusin' the adjacent portion of the hoistway. v

The sling is lifted in steps to the top of the hoistway. At each stopthe workman tightens fish plates as they are reached, install bracketsand clips and other hoistway apparatus on adjacent parts of thehoistway.

Conventional buffer channels and a counterweight frame (not shown) maybe set in the lower end of the hoistway. v

After the sling reaches the upper end of the hoistway it may be removedtogether with the rig. The permanent sling or car frame now may beinstalled.

In FIG. 7 the sling 33 is shown adjacent a floor of the buildingstructure represented in FIGS. 1-4. A workman M1 on the lower platform35 has installed a hoistway door frame 41 for the floor, and apushbutton box 43 for. the floor and has extended a duct 45 for electricconductors which runs up the hoistway. He also installs positionindicators 47 for the floors or corridors served by the hoistway whichwill indicate the position of the car to intending passengers on thefloors who are awaiting service. A second workman M2 is on the platform37 prepared to operate a hoist switch for lifting the sling to its nextworking position. This workman had been on the platform 37 in order totighten the fish plates 25 and 26 shown just above the platform and toinstall the brackets 29 and 31 shown above the platform and theassociated clips.

As previously noted the guide rails may be located with respect to abench mark or with reference to centerlines CL1 and CL2 of the building.Important dimensions include the dimension BGl between the car guiderails, the dimension BG2 between the counterweight guide rails and thedimension 863 between the plane of the car guide rails and the plane ofthe counterweight guide rails.

It will be noted that a safety line 49 extends alongside the path of thesling for the full length of the hoistway. This line has stops 51 atintervals. Each workman has a flexible line 53 with one end attached tothe workmans belt. The other end of the flexible line 53 carries a snaphook 55 which snaps on the safety line 49 between a pair of the stops51.

The sling has conventional guide shoes 57 for guiding the sling alongthe car guide rail sections 13. These are illustrated as roller guideshoes. All guide rails are shown as having a conventional T-section.

The rig 21A corresponds to the rig 21 of FIGS. 1-6 and has a mountingstructure including a central framework constructed of two parallelmetal channels 61 and 63 having their flanges extending'towards eachother. The parts may be constructed of a metal such as steel oraluminum. These channels rest on, and are welded to, two similarparallel channels 65 and 67 extending at right angles to the channels 61and 63. Four eyes 69 are attached to this framework at spaced points.The hoist rope 19 may be attached to these eyes by a suitable hitch forthe purpose of lifting the framework. The

hitch is represented by a metal disk 70 attached by ropes or chains(shown dotted) tothe eyes 69. When the rig is to be lifted or lowered,the rope 19 is attached to the center of the disk (shown displaced fromthe normal lift line). Two slightly smaller metal parallel channels71and 73 are snuggly, and slidably received within the channels 61 and 63.The channels 71 and 73 have flanges extending towards each other andproject from the left hand ends of the channels 61 and 63 as viewed inFIG. 7. The exposed ends of the channels 71 and 73 are welded to a metalplate 75. Two channels 77 and 79 and a plate 81 correspond to thechannels 71 and 73 and plate 75, but project from the right-hand ends ofthe channels 61 and 63.

A carriage 82 has two rollers 83 and 85 which are respectively withinthe channels 71 and 73 and which roll on the lower flanges of thechannels. The carriages have an axle 82A (FIG. 8) mounting therollersand welded to a metal mounting plate 82? which is arranged to beconnected to the upper end of one of the guide rail sections 13 as bybolts 828. The rollers may have flanges 83F and 85F adjacent the edgesof the lower flanges of the channels. The plates 82? may be secured tothe associated guide rail section below the top of the section as shownby broken lines. Thus, if it is found advisable to permit the guide railsection to project substantially above the penthouse floor, holes may bedrilled on the job at the desired positions in the section 13 to receivethe bolts 82B. Similarly a carriage 86 has two rollers 87 and 89 whichare similarly associated with thechannels 77 and 79 forconnection toanother guide rail section 13.

A similar but smaller framework is provided for association with thecounterweight guide rail sections 15.

Thus two metal channels 91 and 93 correspond to the channels 61 and 63.Two metal channels 95 and 97 correspond to the channels 65 and 67 andare slidably received respectively in the channels 65 and 67. Thechannels 95 and 97 are welded to the channels 91 and 93.

Two metal channels 99 and 101 correspond to the channels 71 and 73 andare slidably received within the channels 91 and 93. The projecting endsof the chan nels 99 and 101 are welded to a metal plate 103.

Two metal channels 105 and 107 correspond to the channels 77 and '79 andare slidably received within the channels 91 and 93. The exposed ends ofthe channels 105 and 107 are welded to a metal plate 109.

Carriages 111 and 113 having rollers similar to the carriages 82 and 86are associated with the channels 99, 161, 105 and 107 to be connected tothe upper ends of two counterweight guide rail sections 115 in the samemanner by which the carriages 82 and 86 are associated with the carguide rail sections 13.

Dimensional information may be placed on the rig at appropriate places.Thus scales S may be engraved on the upper faces of the channels 71, 73,77, 79, 95, 97, 99, 101, 105 and 107. Center points C may be engraved onthe upper faces of the channels 61 and 93. The scales show the distancefrom each of the guide rails to the associated center point, and thedistance between the plane of the car guide rails and the plane of thecounterweight guide rails.

Adjustable gauges or scales (not shown) may be placed on the lower facesof the same channels to assist in measuring the distance between pairsof the guide rails and in squaring" or orienting the facesof the guiderails properly.

Conventional devices T for sighting true centers may be mountedadjustably on the top of the rig. Such a device may be employed forsighting a line extending to a target or mark 116 on a board 115 (showndotted) extending between a pair of guide rails or to a center mark onthe sling or in the pit as desired. The device may take the form of alaser beam device, or a transit v or a theodolite. Thus a lasercoherent-light beam of small cross-section may be directed verticallydown the hoistway along the desired line. The mark 116 then may beadjusted to intercept the beam.

The board 115 is illustrated as having two sighting targets or marks116. These marks are spaced horizontally from each other. The device Tmay comprise a telescope which is oriented successively to sight each oftwo vertical lines. Each line passes through the correct position of oneof the marks 116. The board has a length equal to the correct spacing861 between the car guide rails.

As the sling progresses upwardly through the hoistway, at each ofseveral stops a workman places the board level between two of theguide-rail sections 13. The nearest guide rail brackets then areadjusted or shimmed until the guide rail sections about the board endsand each of the marks 116 falls on one of the sighting lines. Thecounterweight guide rails are adjusted similarly.

- The rig may be expanded or contracted in any suitable manner.Desirably, jacks may be provided, one along each line of expansion orcontraction of the rig components. T he jacks may be of standardconstruction, such as screw-operated or hydraulically-operated jacks.Conveniently they may be secured to the rig to be availableat all times.

One such screw-0perated jack 125 has an element 127 providing a malescrew 129 at its left-hand end in FIG. 7. The remaining end is capturedin a holder 131 on the channel 61. This holder permits rotation of theelement about its axis by a wrench (not shown) applied to a square head133 on the screw 129, but prevents axial movement of the screw relativeto the holder. The screw is threaded into female threads formed in anextension 134 of the plate 75. Thus rotation of the element 127 forcesthe plate 75 towards or from the channels 61 and 63 as desired. Similarjacks may be pro vided for controlling the positions of the plate 81relative to the channels 61 and 63, the channels 91 and 93 relative tothe channels 61 and 63 and the plates 103 and 109 relative the channels91 and 93.

In FIG. 7 the element 127 projects to the right of the holder 131 andhas a male. screw 141 at its right-hand end. The male screw 141 isthreaded into female threads formed in an extension 143 of the plate 81;

The screws 141 and 129 are respectively right-hand and left-hand screws.Thus rotation of the element 127 about its axis simultaneously forcesthe plates and 81 towards or from the channels 61 and 63 as'desired. Asimilar jack may be provided for the plates 103 and 109.

Each of the guide rails has a conventional T-section and the fish platesare bolted to the bases of the guide rail sections. It has been foundthat when suspended from the rig the sections forming each guide railare located closely along the desired vertical line, particu larly ifthe fish plates are loosely bolted to the rail sec tions. 2

r The adjustable parts may be suitably clamped in adjusted positions.Thus holes H are formed in the webs of the various channels as shown sothe telescoping channels may be fastened in various positions ofadjustment by bolts. A screw 84 is shown for holding the roller 83 inany position of adjustment. A number of close ly-spaced tapped holes maybe distributed along the channel 71 to receive one or more screws 84located to hold theroller 83 approximately in any desired position.Eachof the rollers from which the guide rails are suspended may be heldsimilarly. It will be noted that such holding does not interfere withthe pivoting movement of each guide rail about the axis of theassociated pair of rollers.

The invention may be applied to elevator systems having parts indifferent configurations. Thus, some systems locate the counterweights,and guide rails at one side of a hoistway instead of at the rear ofhoistway as shown in FIG. 7. The side mounted guide rails may beinstalled in the same manner discussed above as the rear mounted guiderails.

We claim:

1. A rig for installing elevator guide rails comprising when the hoistconnection is attached to vertical hoist rope means, whereby saidsupports may be utilized to support two vertical guide rails inpredetermined horizontally spaced positions, and hoist means connectedto said hoist connection means for raising and lowering the mountingstructure in substantially vertical directions.

2. A rig as claimed in claim 1 which includes a third guide rail supportfor supporting a third guide rail in substantially vertical position anda fourth guide rail support for supporting a fourth guide rail insubstantially vertical position, said mounting structure including meansmounting the third and fourth guide rail supports for adjustmentssubstantially parallel to said plane, whereby said third and fourthguide rail supports may be utilized to support two vertical guide railsin predetermined horizontally spaced positions.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 2 in combination with a firstvertical guide rail section having an upper end connected to said firstguide rail support, a second vertical guide rail section having an upperend connected to said second guide rail support, a first depending guiderail section located below and substantially aligned with the firstguide rail section, a second depending guide rail section located belowand substantially aligned with the second guide rail section, a thirdvertical guide rail section having an upper end connected to said thirdguide rail support, a fourth vertical guide rail section having an upperend connected to said fourth guide rail support, a third depending guiderail section located below and substantially aligned with the thirdguide rail section, and a fourth depending guide rail section locatedbelow and substantially aligned with the fourth guide rail section, saidfirst and second guide rail sections forming parts of car guide rails,and the third and fourth guide rail sections forming parts ofcounterweight guide rails.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 2 wherein said mounting structurecomprises means for adjustably mounting the first and second guide railsupports for adjustment along a first line, and means for adjustablymounting the third and fourth guide rail supports for adjustment along asecond line parallel to, and horizontally spaced from, the first line.

5. The invention as claimed in claim l in combination with a firstvertical guide rail section having an upper end connected to said firstguide rail support, a second vertical guide rail section having an upperend connected to said second guide rail support, a first depending guiderail section located below and substantially aligned with the firstvertical guide rail section, and a second depending guide rail sectionlocated below and substantially aligned with the second vertical guiderail section.-

6. The invention as claimed in claim 5 in combination with means looselyconnecting the lower ends of the vertical guide rail sections to theassociated upper ends of the depending guide rail sections.

7. The method of installing with a guide rail support unit in a hoistwayof a building structure a plurality of guide rail sections constitutingparts of a multi-section guide rail, which comprises raising a unithaving a guide rail support from a low level in the hoistway, to ahigher level in the hoistway in a plurality of steps each substantiallyequal to the length of a guide rail section, suspending a guide railsection from the support when the support is adjacent a low level in thehoistway, attaching an end of a separate guide rail section to thelowest end of a guide rail section suspended from said support at theend of each successive step of the unit, whereby the overall length ofthe suspended guide rail sections is increased by the length of oneguide rail section after each of said steps.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 in combination with the steps ofmoving the support horizontally to position the suspended guide railsections along the line of a desired guide rail, and attaching thesuspended guide rail sections to the building structure.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said attaching comprisesattaching to the building structure the lowest suspended guide railsection, mounting a platform for vertical movement under the guidance ofthe attached guide rail section, and working from the platform to secureto the building structure the guide rail section immediately above thefirst attached guide rail section.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said attaching furthercomprises raising the platform as guided by the lowest two secured guiderail sections to a higher level, working from the platform to secure tothe building structure the guide rail section immediately above the twopreviously secured guide rail sections, and in like manner raising theplatform in steps and working from the platform to secure each higherguide rail section to the building structure until the initiallysuspended guide rail sections are all secured to the building structure.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein each pair of adjacent endsof the suspended guide rail sections initially are loosely connected,and firmly attaching each of said pairs of adjacent ends as it isreached by a workman on the platform.

12. The method as claimed in claim lll in combination with installingother apparatus in the hoistway including hoistway door frames as theinstallation positions of such components are reached by the platform.

13. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said unit has a second guiderail support, said method comprising suspending a guide rail sectionfrom the second guide rail support when the unit is adjacent said lowlevel in the hoistway, attaching an end of a separate guide rail sectionto the lowest end of a guide rail section suspended from said secondguide rail support at the end of each of said successive steps of theunit, whereby two parallel vertical rows of guide rail sections areformed.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13in combination with the steps ofmoving each of said supports horizontally to position each suspended rowof guide rail sections along the line of a separate desired guide rail,and securing the guide rail sections to the building structure.

15. The method as claimed in claim'M wherein said securing comprisessecuring to the building structure the lowest of the suspended guiderail sections in each of the rows, mounting a sling between said securedlowest guide rail sections, raising said sling in steps, and workingfrom the sling at each stop to secure to the building structure portionsof the guide rail sections near the sling.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein said unit has a thirdguide rail support and a fourth guide rail support, said methodcomprising suspending from each of the third and fourth guide railsupports when the unit is adjacent said low level in the hoistway aseparate guide rail section, attaching an end of a separate guide railsection to the lowest end of a guide rail section suspended from each ofsaid third and fourth guide rail supports at the end of each of saidsuccessive steps of the unit, whereby four parallel vertical rows ofguide rail sections are formed, moving each of the supports horizontallyto position each suspended row of guide rail sections along the line ofa separate desired guide rail to form two car guide rails and twocounterweight guide rails, and securing the guide rail sections to the

1. A rig for installing elevator guide rails comprising a first guide rail support for supporting a first guide rail in substantially vertical position, a second guide rail support for supporting a second guide rail in substantially vertical position, and a mounting structure mounting said supports for adjustments substantially parallel to a plane, said mounting structure including hoist connection means for attachment to hoist rope means, said hoist connection means being constructed for maintaining said plane substantially horizontal when the hoist connection is attached to vertical hoist rope means, whereby said supports may be utilized to support two vertical guide rails in predetermined horizontally spaced positions, and hoist means connected to said hoist connection means for raising and lowering the mounting structure in substantially vertical directions.
 2. A rig as claimed in claim 1 which includes a third guide rail support for supporting a third guide rail in substantially vertical position and a fourth guide rail support for supporting a fourth guide rail in substantially vertical position, said mounting structure including means mounting the third and fourth guide rail supports for adjustments substantially parallel to said plane, whereby said third and fourth guide rail supports may be utilized to support two vertical guide rails in predetermined horizontally spaced positions.
 3. The invention as claimed in claim 2 in combination with a first vertical guide rail section having an upper end connected to said first guide rail support, a second vertical guide rail section having an upper end connected to said second guide rail support, a first depending guide rail section located below and substantially aligned with the first guide rail section, a second depending guide rail section located below and substantially aligned with the second guide rail section, a third vertical guide rail section having an upper end connected to said third guide rail support, a fourth vertical guide rail section having an upper end connected to said fourth guide rail support, a third depending guide rail section located below and substantially aligned with the third guide rail section, and a fourth depending guide rail section located below and substantially aligned with the fourth guide rail section, said first and second guide rail sections forming parts of car guide rails, and the third and fourth guide rail sections forming parts of counterweight guide rails.
 4. The invention as claimed in claim 2 wherein said mounting structure comprises means for adjustably mounting the first and second guide rail supports for adjustment along a first line, and means for adjustably mounting the third and fourth guide rail supports for adjustment along a second line parallel to, and horizontally spaced from, the first line.
 5. The invention as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a first vertical guide rail section having an upper end connected to said first guide rail support, a second vertical guide rail section having an upper end connected to said second guide rail support, a first depending guide rail section located below and substantially aligned with the first vertical guide rail section, and a second depending guide rail section located below and substantially aligned with the second vertical guide rail section.
 6. The invention as claimed in claim 5 in combination with means loosely connecting the lower ends of the veRtical guide rail sections to the associated upper ends of the depending guide rail sections.
 7. The method of installing with a guide rail support unit in a hoistway of a building structure a plurality of guide rail sections constituting parts of a multi-section guide rail, which comprises raising a unit having a guide rail support from a low level in the hoistway, to a higher level in the hoistway in a plurality of steps each substantially equal to the length of a guide rail section, suspending a guide rail section from the support when the support is adjacent a low level in the hoistway, attaching an end of a separate guide rail section to the lowest end of a guide rail section suspended from said support at the end of each successive step of the unit, whereby the overall length of the suspended guide rail sections is increased by the length of one guide rail section after each of said steps.
 8. The method as claimed in claim 7 in combination with the steps of moving the support horizontally to position the suspended guide rail sections along the line of a desired guide rail, and attaching the suspended guide rail sections to the building structure.
 9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said attaching comprises attaching to the building structure the lowest suspended guide rail section, mounting a platform for vertical movement under the guidance of the attached guide rail section, and working from the platform to secure to the building structure the guide rail section immediately above the first attached guide rail section.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said attaching further comprises raising the platform as guided by the lowest two secured guide rail sections to a higher level, working from the platform to secure to the building structure the guide rail section immediately above the two previously secured guide rail sections, and in like manner raising the platform in steps and working from the platform to secure each higher guide rail section to the building structure until the initially suspended guide rail sections are all secured to the building structure.
 11. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein each pair of adjacent ends of the suspended guide rail sections initially are loosely connected, and firmly attaching each of said pairs of adjacent ends as it is reached by a workman on the platform.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 11 in combination with installing other apparatus in the hoistway including hoistway door frames as the installation positions of such components are reached by the platform.
 13. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said unit has a second guide rail support, said method comprising suspending a guide rail section from the second guide rail support when the unit is adjacent said low level in the hoistway, attaching an end of a separate guide rail section to the lowest end of a guide rail section suspended from said second guide rail support at the end of each of said successive steps of the unit, whereby two parallel vertical rows of guide rail sections are formed.
 14. A method as claimed in claim 13 in combination with the steps of moving each of said supports horizontally to position each suspended row of guide rail sections along the line of a separate desired guide rail, and securing the guide rail sections to the building structure.
 15. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said securing comprises securing to the building structure the lowest of the suspended guide rail sections in each of the rows, mounting a sling between said secured lowest guide rail sections, raising said sling in steps, and working from the sling at each stop to secure to the building structure portions of the guide rail sections near the sling.
 16. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein said unit has a third guide rail support and a fourth guide rail support, said method comprising suspending from each of the third and fourth guide rail supports when the unit is adjacent said low level in the hOistway a separate guide rail section, attaching an end of a separate guide rail section to the lowest end of a guide rail section suspended from each of said third and fourth guide rail supports at the end of each of said successive steps of the unit, whereby four parallel vertical rows of guide rail sections are formed, moving each of the supports horizontally to position each suspended row of guide rail sections along the line of a separate desired guide rail to form two car guide rails and two counterweight guide rails, and securing the guide rail sections to the building structure.
 17. The method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said securing comprises securing to the building structure the lowest of the suspended guide rail sections in each of the rows, mounting a sling between a pair of said secured lowest guide rail sections, raising said sling in steps, working from the sling at each stop to secure to the building structure portions of the guide rail sections near the sling, and working from the sling at each stop to install any hoistway apparatus to be located near the sling. 